Published: Friday, November 1, 2013 at 4:40 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 1, 2013 at 4:40 p.m.

NOKOMIS - Kathi McMullen now carries a baseball bat when she walks her dogs along a familiar path bordered by thick palmetto bushes.

Facts

INFORMATION

Report:If you see a coyote or believe your pet has been taken by one, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Southwest Florida division at 863-648-3200.

How to protect yourself and your petsPrevent: Garbage, pet food, roadkill, and small, unattended animals are all treats for coyotes. Make sure you secure outdoor garbage bins, bring water bowls inside, do not feed your pets outside, and do not leave cats and small dogs outside unattended.Haze:If you encounter a coyote, the FWC encourages you to “haze” the animal. Hazing involves making loud noises that threaten the animal, essentially scaring it off. Whistles and air horns

The Nokomis woman said she is ready to defend Maggie, a golden retriever, and Chewie, a chihuahua, against her neighborhood's newest predator: coyotes.

While coyotes rarely attack humans, the emboldened animals are increasingly moving beyond trash cans and road kill to attack cats and dogs. Last week, McMullen said, it was the dog next door.

Bill Giuliano, a professor of wildlife management at the University of Florida who is researching Florida's coyotes, said no study has been done to determine how many coyotes are in Florida.

"But I'm certain it is well over tens of thousands," he said.

And they are taking a toll.

For the past year, photocopies with pictures and information about missing cats have routinely been tacked to posts at the entrance of the Venice Acres subdivision.

Joe Brower, a resident of the neighborhood, is convinced a coyote killed his cat, Samantha. Brower said he awoke at 4 a.m. one morning last year and stepped outside for fresh air. Samantha darted past him as he opened a garage door, and she scampered out of Brower's reach when he tried to scoop her up. He gave up, went back inside and closed the door.

Then came a shriek.

Brower darted outside but found nothing: no cat, no blood and no sign of a struggle.

"I can't think of anything else in this area that could have taken a cat without a fight," Brower said. "I mean, (Samantha) probably weighed 10 or 12 pounds. Maybe a bobcat, but it wouldn't be that much of a mismatch."

Coyotes were introduced to Florida by hunters in the 1920s. But according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, most came on their own, wandering into northwest Florida in the 1970s.

Their numbers grew quickly: In 1981, a survey found coyotes in just 18 of Florida's 67 counties. Seven years later, they were seen in 48 counties.

Giuliano said the first coyotes in Southwest Florida were spotted in the 2000s. Now, they are in all 67 Florida counties — including sightings in Key Largo.

Weighing up to 45 pounds and agile enough to hunt down squirrels, coyotes overmatch household pets.

The fear of losing one of her dogs, especially Chewie, the Chihuahua, compelled McMullen to buy a baseball bat. She said after hearing neighbors detail sightings and eulogize pets they believed were taken by coyotes, she decided she needed to act.

"I'm a wreck," she said. "I used to walk my dogs three to four times a day. Now I walk them once, and I carry a bat. I'm thinking about getting Mace."

That might be extreme, Giuliano said.

He said he has heard of rare, isolated incidents of coyotes snatching pets off of their leashes, but people should not live in fear of the new feral canines.

"It's kind of like what we see with gators," Giuliano said. "People leave out trash and feed them, so they become more comfortable around humans."

So what can people or agencies do to rid the state of coyotes?

Nothing.

Trial-and-error in controlling coyote populations has uncovered a truth about the species: if you remove a coyote from an area, the remaining population is likely to surge.

Giuliano said the animals are known for density-dependent reproduction, which means when one coyote in a group goes missing, litter sizes increase and the population overcompensates.

"It's impossible to kill enough (coyote) for them to not compensate," Giuliano said. "They've tried that in the West for hundreds of years, and they still have a lot of coyote."

With removal and extermination proving fruitless, the FWC said the best way for people to steer coyotes away from their neighborhoods is to secure garbage, feed pets indoors, and "haze" coyotes by making loud noises and threatening movements to scare them off.

While some might feel silly bellowing at the animals and waving their arms, FWC officials said it's the best way to let coyotes know they are not welcome in your area.

It might be wise to stake out your claim, because Guiliano said the coyotes are here to stay.

"Unfortunately I think they're going to end up being like feral hogs," Giuliano said. "They're a problem, we don't like them, and there's nothing we can do."

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